Tag Archives: Half court

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill is a useful tool in developing a team’s player movement around the half court. The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill looks to make player move more effective off the ball by not allowing the player with the ball to dribble. This makes creating scoring opportunities all the more difficult that makes the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill more suitable for players above the introductory level of basketball knowledge and skill.

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill is very good for teams who are finding players ball watching or individuals catching the ball and straight away looking to dribble. It is not unusual for inexperienced players or teams with a dominant offensive player to find the offensive players with the ball not in their hand to just stand and watch what is unfolding on the court. This causes an offense to stagnate and in turn will cause the opposition defence to compact and limit the opportunities on offer.

Over dribbling, can be a very common problem for teams when individual players are not confident with the ball in their hands as to what to do. The ability to keep the defender away from the ball as well as understanding an offense well enough to allow opportunities to unfold rather than forcing passes or shots. Dribbling is a common release of anxiety for players while on the court and curbing this habit can be challenging for a coach. The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill can be a very useful strategy in beating this bad habit.

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill starts with three players on offense positioned around the keyway. One player starts in the Point Position, with the other two players positioned at the foul line extended on each side of the court.

3 v 3 No Dribble Drill Diagram 1

Depending on a team’s offense, players will move to replicate a specific play or a team’s principles of play that are to be used during games. The better players work to get free off the ball from their defender and in creating shots, the better the offense will run when dribbling is re-introduced.

The drill is with teams aiming to score a set number of points or make a pre-determined number of “stops”.

Variations

There are a number of different variations that can be applied to the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill. The first is to simply extend the dribble so the offense starts from the half court. This will add a very different sort of dimension to the drill. With the offense, now starting from halfway there will be an opportunity for longer passes and different areas of the court to be explored that would not normally be thought of as significant and leading to scoring possibilities.

Another option is to increase the number of players involved within the activity. There is no reason the principles of the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill cannot be extended to 4 v 4 or 5 v 5 scenarios. Additionally adding these players to the drill will allow for more traffic on the floor and therefore a greater number of options to be explored. In situations where post players are specifically introduced to the drill, fantastic benefits can be seen in interior player’s preparation for positioning for a catch to score.

The benefit behind the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill cannot be understated. Limiting the options available to a player will force attention onto other aspects of technical development or principles of play. In the modern game of basketball, the importance of dribbling and on-ball screens can be overstated. Taking the time to develop off the ball play and spacing will making any team better as a whole.

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill looks to prepare players for reading on the run. In many fast break situations both the offense and defence number each other equally and so good choices need to be made as to if there is an advantage to exploited or if not. In cases where the here is no advantage, the ball should be slowed down for set-up into the half-court offense of the team. This slowing of the ball though does not mean that no options cannot be explored. The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill looks to simulate this situation by combining a number of different variables together and forcing players to react faster and instinctively.

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill starts with four lines of players across the halfway line of a court. No line is either offense or defence. However, two of the lines will form one team (Circles) while the other two lines for another team (Triangles).

2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill Diagram 1

Who is on offense or defence will be determined by whom the coach passes the basketball to.

The Coach starts with the ball and dribbles/walks across the halfway line. At any moment, the coach can pass/hand the ball to any player in one of the four lines.

In the diagram above the Coach starts walking across the court and passes the ball to Two (2). This means Two (2) and One (1) are on offense and the opposing two lines become defence (Three and Four).

Fast break principles should be implemented within the 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill and players should be discouraged from taking poor shots for the sake of shooting the ball. If the defence recovers and stifles the offense. Then the offensive players should utilise tactical elements such as an on-ball screen or drive and relocate.

By instructing offensive players to not allow the ball to simply be held up will allow options to be explored that can lead to scoring opportunities from when a fast break finishes, to when the half-court offense starts. This will in turn eliminate “gaps” from within a team’s offense. By always challenging and probing an oppositions defence the offense will be able to seize upon breakdowns and weaknesses that are shown.

Variations

Once players start to make a higher percentage of correct choices within the 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill. Add another line to the each team so now the situation is 3 v 3. This will put more bodies on the court and create a greater amount of confusion.

Another option is to move the starting point further and further down the court. Extending the distance the ball has to travel to the basket makes the challenge for the offense all the more significant.

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill is a simplistic activity that makes it suitable for a wide range of different playing levels. Taking the time to implement and gain some success for this fast break drill will result in a more efficient offense and better reads taken by players on the court.

The 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill is a simple activity for defensive players who are learning how to form a trap. Providing quick fire opportunities for players to practice advanced skills like trapping can be very difficult, as many drills seem to be played out in the full court. This is not ideal for teaching as the repetitions are slowed and it is hard to provide a decent amount of repetitions for any one player. The 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill overcomes these issues and allows a high rate of practice for a team.

One of the great aspects about the 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill is that it starts in the half court and allows players to practice the tactic of trapping in short sharp bursts. Players should be pushed within the drill to ideally be working at a game pace once they start to understand the positioning and what they are responsible for as defenders. Coaches should look to take the breaks within player’s repetitions to provide feedback and limit stoppages to the drill.

The 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill starts with three lines of players on each side of the court. One side performs the activity while the other waits. This is to avoid any collisions between the two groups as they progress towards the basket.

1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill Diagram 1

The inside lane (lane closest to the basket) is for one defender (Three).

The middle lane is for the offensive player (Two) who starts with the ball.

The outside lane is the second defender (One).

The drill starts with Two (2) dribbling as fast as possible to halfway. Two (2) must place at least one foot on the halfway line before turning and trying to attack the basket for a shot.

When the offensive player has taken two dribbles off the baseline, then the two defenders (One and Three) can enter the drill and start to chase down the ball.

The responsibilities for the defenders are as follows:

Three (3) is responsible for filling the role of the denying the middle of the floor to the offensive player (Two).

One (1) is responsible for denying the sideline to Two (2).

Both defenders are responsible for not allowing the offensive player to split them and dribble between them.

Once one side of the floor has completed a repetition. The other side of the floor starts.

Point of Note

The 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill not only allows defenders to practice the action of trapping between two defenders. But highlights an often overlooked advantage by players just starting out in the exercise is that the halfway and sidelines are effectively additional defenders. Player’s attention needs to be drawn to the advantage of pinning the offensive players against this area and if possible working the ball handler as far as possible into the corner of the half court so the trap becomes more effective.

Variation

To start with, it is suggested that the offensive player be allowed to attack the basket if they can break the trap. This should be played out as a live 1 v 2 situation with both defenders needing to stop the shot should a breakdown in the trap happen. In these situations within games, if a trap is broken, the end result is often a defensive foul. Do not allow players to just simply foul. Drill what each defender should be doing with regards to the where the ball is and their positioning is initially when the trap is broken.

If the 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill seems a little slow for your liking, simply take away the goal of the offense scoring and replace it with the offensive player just needing to get two feet inside the three-point line. This will speed up the repetitions and allow for a greater degree of learning to take place in regards to performing the trapping action.

Another option to vary the drill is to change which lines are offense and defence on the baseline. This will provide a different perspective for all players involved.

The 1 v 2 HC Trapping Drill is a good activity for players to define their understanding about how to trap. Because the offensive player starts facing away initially in the drill the defence has a little more time in which to perform the activity and gain the correct positioning. This will make a difference to those players (young and old) who just need to understand or tweak their trapping technique.

Poor passing will affect a team’s offense to no end. Having solid technique and confidence in decision making are just some of the ways in which power can be improved in a players passing (Photo Source: jaminotte)

Passing is one of the most commonly used offensive skills in basketball. All offensive systems from fast breaks, offensive transition, and all manner of half court offences all rely on passing to help create opportunities by shifting the ball and defenders. If a team’s passing is poor then as a result the team’s offense and points production will be affected negatively. A common issue when analysing what is going wrong with a team’s passing is identifying that players are not generating enough power to be able to take advantage of a situation or just get the job done of maintain possession.

There are some common areas of note when there is a breakdown technique which is leading to poor passing power. In starting however each player should have their own technique watched and reviewed so even the slightest corrections can be made and the overall performance of the group solidly improved.

Not Stepping Towards Target

The legs are where the initial power from a pass is generated. Players should start to build into their technique the habit of always stepping towards their intended target. This will allow the biggest muscle groups in the legs and core to be activated and the best possible kinesthetic flow to happen as a result of the power to be imparted into the pass.

Not Controlling Arms

For new players the focus in regards to arms and their positioning is all about the correct performance of technique. For senior or elite players it is about the individual respecting the need to do the small things right so the big things will more likely happen.

The correct technique should see the arms of the player pushing through or levering the ball only to finish with both (in push or baseball passing technique one arm) pointing towards the intended target. This ensure all the control and action of directing the ball finishes at the intended target.

Holding onto the Ball for too Long

Just before a player’s stepping foot hits the ground is when the most amount of momentum and energy will be generated. This is the time in which a ball should be released in the technique of passing.

By waiting until the lead foot has made contact with the ground will provide stability, but robs the player’s pass of extra energy which is generated. This can be a risk and reward situation that each coach will need to evaluate.

For players just starting out with the technique or those struggling with making the right choice when passing then maybe waiting until both feet are in contact with the ground can be the best option. However, challenging players with this technique will help them to achieve better results when passing if they can utilise maximum power while in “game like” situations.

Confidence

One of the intangible aspects of passing power is confidence. A player must feel comfortable with the knowledge that the intended passing option presented is the right one. Within a team’s offensive systems, there will be any number of different reads and choices to make. From these options, a player must select the best possible option. If a player is not confident in their identification of these options, they can become timid or only utilise a very narrow range of passing targets that will in turn limit the effectiveness of the offense.

All players on the court need to be aware of the possible options from any point during an offense. Understanding these breakdowns within each and every phase or play will assist in improving the percentage of completed passes, but also to the points as a result.

Having the right focus on what is need by a player when examining passing is vital for the improvement of a team’s possession and passes completed. While none of the points discussed above are that difficult to correct what they do demonstrate is very significant problems can have very simple beginnings.

When implementing a Full Court Press, after the initial stages of how the trapping action happens attention should then shift to the options for a Secondary Trap. The Secondary Trap is the name given to those options for another trap to form after the first has broken down or been released. A team that discusses the secondary trap and works to perfect this action is a team that is twice as hard to beat. A secondary trap can be executed in the full court, half court or quarter court depending on a team’s defensive strategy.

Thinking about a secondary trap is not necessarily discussing what happens when a press breaks down. Just because the ball is moved out of the initial trapping situation does not mean that the defence has failed. In some instances, the secondary trap might be the intended phase within a trapping defence that a team wants so they can pressure the ball more aggressively when possession is in certain players hands. For example, when facing a team that has a capable Point Guard, but very weak supporting ball handlers. The initial trapping situation might be used to move the ball out of the Point Guards hands and then apply extreme pressure the next receiver.

In the full court, the use of the secondary trap is all about using the court effectively. Making every inch of the floor valuable and a challenge for opposition teams to win. If a defensive team is not going to use a secondary trap, then maybe a half-court trap is a better option as this will not stretch the defence as much and also limit the focus to one trapping phase (which is often the focus of half court traps) can be more effective.

When supplementary trapping situations are focused upon within a team’s full court defence there can be opportunities explored even as the ball is advanced deep down the court to the basket. As mentioned previously there is no reason that up to three trapping areas cannot be explored and drilled by a team. These areas are marked in the Diagram below as Areas 1, 2 and 3.

Trapping Areas Diagram 1: A Secondary Trap can happen in the same area as the initial trap. So teams must drill different rotations to ensure they can deal with all strategies that different offense may present

Alternatively, a different approach can be taken and in different areas of the court, different trapping strategies are applied so an opposition’s offense is unable to become comfortable with the tactics they are facing. For example in Area 1, a team may not want to trap, but simply slow the progress of the ball and stall an effective opposition’s transition offense. In Area 2 a team might decide Hedge and Recover so to the offense the trap looks like it is about to happen and so the ball is continued to be rotated away from the key ball handlers and into the weaker decision makers hands within the group before trapping aggressively in Area 3.

If facing a team with a very effective Press Breaker one option is to reduce the press formation to the ¾ court. Then not trap in Areas 1 or 2. This will space the offense out and condense the defence . Then providing all defenders are active a secondary trap can be triggered in Area 3. If executed well, many off the offensive players can be still in the back court when the trap happens and not able to initially take part as a pressure release target for the ball handler.

All of the examples above make the secondary trap a very useful strategy in not only providing depth to a team’s defence, but also being flexible in tactics to compete an ultimately win a game. A good secondary trap is a trap that exposes a team, a does just not focus on the key ball handler of the opposition. When that happens a defence is starting ask questions of players who do not normally make decision at pace, on the dribble or in traffic and that can only be a good thing for the defence.